Any man who is a man may not, in honor, submit to threats of violence. but many men who are not cowards are simply unprepared for the fact of human savagery. They have not thought about it and they just don't know what to do. When they look right into the face of depravity or violence they are astonished and confounded. (Jeff cooper, writing from experience in criminology.)

One of the reasons for slow training is the proper development of efficiency and effectiveness.

Many times when going from point A to Point B a person uses an attribute.

The most common attributes used are either speed or strength or a mixture of both.

Going from point A to Point b through the use of attributes covers the flaw in the principles being used.

The problem with covering flaws with attributes occurs when you encounter someone with more of the attribute you are using.

Then only your principles will get you through.

I am not saying you don’t use your attributes – I am saying do not use them to succeed – use them to determine the amount of damage you do.

Going slow eliminates much of the attributes because – well first of all speed is gone – but also strength is harder to use in slow motion.

Efficiency is about finding what principles work the best. To search through and experiment with these principles you need to work with a partner. A partner that is not resisting but analysing and critiquing.

Efficiency is nothing however if it is not also effective.

So as you work with your partner and you learn the principle you are studying your partner begins to up their resistance and lower their cooperation until they are doing everything to stop you from making it work.

Going from Point A to Point B with either speed or strength masks flaws where eliminating the attributes through slow training you get to see everything in between Point A and Point B.

There is another way to use slow training. When I used to do Aikido we would move slow to negate strength by technique, it is hard to relax when somebody uses a lot of strength against you. as an example if somebody grabs both your wrists, you relax your arms and step back with your feet, thereby making them fight the strength in your hips and lower body with their griphere is a nice clip of some older folks doing Hakkoryu jiu jitsu.derived from the same source as Aiki

There is another way to use slow training. When I used to do Aikido we would move slow to negate strength by technique, it is hard to relax when somebody uses a lot of strength against you. as an example if somebody grabs both your wrists, you relax your arms and step back with your feet, thereby making them fight the strength in your hips and lower body with their griphere is a nice clip of some older folks doing Hakkoryu jiu jitsu.derived from the same source as Aiki

That is a good clip that breaks down what aiki attempts to teach. Not the way I'd like to train.Rory Miller in his book on drills for violence called these types of attacks "feeds" as the attacker is not attacking but "feeding" the defender an attack he can handle. I do like slow attacks for striking arts. I did a few months of Aikido years ago and couldn't get it to mesh with the uechi training I was doing. Small circle jujitsu on the other hand meshed very well with uechi as the slow feeds are built upon with the goal being to be able to handle the attacks at full speed. Aikido is however a graceful art with a lot to offer for health and longevity. For me, the feeds, contrived way that the attacker takes a dive for the defender, and lack of realism didn't fit. False sense of what you can do with your art would probably get you killed.The goal of slow is to be able to handle things at full speed.I've seen Rick's drills on video and I believe the goal is to build speed to be handle a full on attacker.

I think that you miss my point. In aikido the idea is to confront strength with technique and not with speed or deception, so you do it slowly to find the technique. You mentioned Rory, his style is very similar to Aikihttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-PhaDnRfWs

I did a few months of Aikido years ago and couldn't get it to mesh with the uechi training I was doing.

My Uechi instructor included a half hour of Aikido with every lesson. It complimented the Uechi pretty well, from what I recall. Quite a bit of the close contact striking would flow into gripping/leverage/throwing.

But it's been a really long time. Could just be the years messing with my memory.

I did a few months of Aikido years ago and couldn't get it to mesh with the uechi training I was doing.

My Uechi instructor included a half hour of Aikido with every lesson. It complimented the Uechi pretty well, from what I recall. Quite a bit of the close contact striking would flow into gripping/leverage/throwing.

But it's been a really long time. Could just be the years messing with my memory.

Could have been the school. i trained with a guy that was affiliated with Boston Akikai, and his teacher had direct lineage to O Sensai. Very formal and contrived, but neat to study. I just didn't see it as practical.

And Ray, I have seen videos of more practical aikido than I was exposed to. I just didn't think what was shown in that video was worthwhile. It was very much the pace that I was exposed to. The second video you showed was more to my liking and seemed more like the jujitsu I've seen.

I think it's all in how you train and how much your training partners challenge you and make it real.

With aikido there are a number of different styles within the name, only a few of them are effective although within the ineffective ones there are a few very effective people , but to the uninitiated they all look the same. The actual techniques of Aiki are practised in a number of styles , just done a little diffferently............I now do Balintawak Escrima and fillipino boxing. They do some very obvious Aiki techniques, but they are not done the same as the Aikikai........ what I was saying though applies to any number of martial arts, I only chose Aikido as an example...you could use Tai Chi if you wanted.The point that I am making is that people do it slowly to get it right, and by Right I mean using the correct posture, muscles, alignement etc. In some cases it is part of the art, indeed the whole basis of the art. Tai Chi is designed to fight stronger ,quicker people..you can't do that by being stronger and quicker than them..if you are then you are doing it wrong, so even when you fight you will be slower.

With aikido there are a number of different styles within the name, only a few of them are effective although within the ineffective ones there are a few very effective people , but to the uninitiated they all look the same. The actual techniques of Aiki are practised in a number of styles , just done a little diffferently............I now do Balintawak Escrima and fillipino boxing. They do some very obvious Aiki techniques, but they are not done the same as the Aikikai........ what I was saying though applies to any number of martial arts, I only chose Aikido as an example...you could use Tai Chi if you wanted.The point that I am making is that people do it slowly to get it right, and by Right I mean using the correct posture, muscles, alignement etc. In some cases it is part of the art, indeed the whole basis of the art. Tai Chi is designed to fight stronger ,quicker people..you can't do that by being stronger and quicker than them..if you are then you are doing it wrong, so even when you fight you will be slower.

You mentioned tai chi. I always thought it was a joke until i watched some of this guy's videos.

Guy's good, entertaining to watch, and seems able to make it work.This supports Ray's idea as well as others that it is how you train. What is interesting about this Wong guy is that in most of his videos he distinguishes between the practice and the use of the style for reality. He points out what he thinks won't work and what will. Changed my opinion of tai chi.

Jo Mr Wong has a mixed reception over here, on a brit forum somebody described him as an" angry man", I don't know why he speaks like that he's been in England for 20 years or more, and He doesn't give an indication of who his teachers were.I've looked at his Wing chun clips, his form is one that I don't know, he seems to be trying to promote himself.................but if you can do the business, well in my book that is what's important.As to Tai Chi, yes it is a very good martial art, as are all the internal arts. MY last wing chun teacher who could really walk his talk, used to say to me that Gung Fu was taught by rich people to rich people, and it's true, and I guess its even a little more complex than that, but if you've got money then you get the better stuff, just like buying a car or anything really.as they say " pay peanuts get monkeys"

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